Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Common causes and germs in dog ear infections by breed
By Zur, G et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2011·Veterinary Teaching Hospital·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The association between the signalment, common causes of canine otitis externa and pathogens.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at dogs with ear infections (otitis externa) to see if certain breeds or health issues made them more likely to get these infections. Breeds like the German shepherd and cocker spaniel were found to have higher rates of infection, especially with specific bacteria. Older dogs, particularly those over five years old, were more likely to have severe infections. The findings suggest that while some breeds and health conditions may influence the severity of ear infections, the infections themselves are often not caused by these factors.
People also search for: dog ear infection treatment · German shepherd ear problems · cocker spaniel ear infection causes
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether associations exist between pathogens, allergies, conformational abnormalities, endocrinopathies and signalment in canine otitis externa (OE). METHODS: Medical records of 149 dogs which met predetermined inclusion criteria were evaluated retrospectively. Correlations between pathogens and the presence of allergy, endocrinopathy, conformational abnormalities and signalment were evaluated statistically. RESULTS: The shar-pei, German shepherd and cocker spaniel breeds were over-represented compared with the hospital's breed distribution (P<0·001). German shepherd dogs and cocker spaniels were statistically more prone to infection with rod-shaped organisms and Labrador retrievers less than other breeds (P=0·034). Almost all dogs that were older than five years when diagnosed with OE had cocci (P=0·01) and also had higher levels of rods (P=0·028). The incidence of rods was higher in endocrinopathies (P=0·004), while that of Malassezia spp. tended to be higher in allergies (P=0·098). There were no statistically significant differences among the groups for all the other parameters examined. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: OE infection is usually not influenced by primary causes or predisposing factors. Endocrinopathies may be followed by a more severe otitis, however. OE may be more severe when it affects older dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21539570/